Assessment of Chukar and Gray Partridge Populations - Idaho Power

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Hells Canyon Chukar and Gray Partridge Report, Ratti and Giudice 123.1.6. ProCite ® Database and Hard-Copies of LiteratureWe used Pro-Cite ® for Windows, version 3.4., to create the computerized database(Chuk-Hun) provided with this report. Pro-Cite ® is a literature-management program availablein Windows, DOS, and Macintosh formats. This program allows an efficient and quick search ofthe computerized database.It is important to note that the Chuk_Hun database does not contain all literature onchukar and gray partridge (i.e., not all publications from outside North America are included).However, all literature that we located on the target species specific to Hells Canyon or the HellsCanyon region has been included in the database. Key terms that may be useful for searching thedatabase are listed in Appendix C.Hard copies of selected literature (major publications and research reports germane to theIntermountain West) were also provided with this report. Each hard copy was numbered in theupper-right corner. This number corresponds to a Pro-Cite ® entry number under the “Note”field. Hard copies were filed sequentially.3.2. Site VisitsSite visits were conducted during the fall and winter of 1999, spring of 2000, and fall andwinter of 2001. Site visits included surveys to obtain partridge counts, assessment of habitat, andphotographic records for each survey site. Details of site-visit methods are presented in section5.0 below.4. Literature ReviewOther than annual population surveys, only limited data exist on chukar and graypartridge populations in Hells Canyon (rim-to-rim from Weiser to Hells Canyon Dam). Only 4chukar studies have been conducted in or near Hells Canyon. Mackie and Buechner (1963)described the reproductive cycle of the chukar along the Snake River in southeast Washington.Oelklaus (1976) described distribution and habitat use of chukar along the middle and lowerSnake River. Lindbloom (1998) described habitat use, reproduction, movements, and survival ofchukar along the Lower Salmon River in west-central Idaho. Walter (2000) describedreproduction, movements, habitat use, and diet of chukar in Succor Creek State Park, MalheurCounty, Oregon. Information on chukar ecology and management in North America is basedmostly on studies conducted in Nevada, Utah, and California (see Christensen 1996). Likewise,information on ecology and management of gray partridge is based mostly on studies conductedin agricultural areas of Europe (e.g., Potts 1986) and North America (e.g., Weigand 1980, Smithet al. 1982, Ratti et al. 1983, Carroll 1993), including the Palouse Prairie of Idaho andWashington (Knott et al. 1943, Yocom 1943, Mendel 1979, Rotella and Ratti 1986). Mendel(1979) also estimated hatching phenology for birds inhabiting lower-elevation rangelands andcanyons along the Potlatch, Clearwater, and Snake rivers. However, very little informationexists on gray partridge populations inhabiting Hells Canyon or other canyon grasslands. Even
Hells Canyon Chukar and Gray Partridge Report, Ratti and Giudice 13less is known about interactions involving sympatric populations of chukar and gray partridge inNorth America. Consequently, much of the following information is based on studies conductedoutside the Hells Canyon study area. Given major differences in regional habitats, theapplication of research findings from other geographic areas to Hells Canyon should be viewedcautiously.4.1. Systematics4.1.1. ChukarChukar partridge are placed in the family Phasianidae, subfamily Phasianinae, and tribePerdicini (AOU 1998). The genus Alectoris consists of 7 species and 24 subspecies worldwide,including 14 subspecies of A. chukar (del Hoyo et al. 1994). Birds originally introduced intoNorth America were probably Indian chukar (nominate A. c. chukar), which occur from easternAfghanistan east through northern India to western Nepal. Two other subspecies, A. c. koroviakoviaand A. c. pallescens, found in adjacent areas to the north and west could have beencaptured and exported through the ports of Karachi and Calcutta, India. If so, these subspeciesprobably intermixed as a result of game-farm practices. During the 1950s, the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service began introducing Turkish chukars (A. c. cypriotes and A. c. kurdestanica) intoNorth America (Christensen 1996). Turkish chukars were propagated on a game farm in NewMexico, where the various subspecies probably interbred. Progeny were released primarily inNew Mexico, Utah, and California. Most introductions failed or were swamped by Indianchukars (Christensen 1996). There are 6 additional species of Alectoris that also have anextensive distribution across southern Europe, northern Africa, and southern Asia: red-leggedpartridge (A. rufa) of southern Great Britain (introduced) and southwestern Europe; the Barbarypartridge (A. barbara) of North Africa and Sardinia; the rock partridge (A. graeca) ofsoutheastern Europe; Philby’s partridge (A. philbyi) of western Saudi Arabia and Yemen; theArabian partridge (A. melanocephala) found in western and southern Saudi Arabia and Yemen;and Przevalski’s partridge (A. magna) of eastern Tibet and western China (Watson 1962a, b;Johnsgard 1988).Alectoris species in the Palearctic are morphologically similar despite having relativelylittle sympatry over the total range of the genus, which suggests Alectoris partridge has a narrowniche (Watson 1962a). Historical sympatry and allopatry of congeners and possibly, Perdix,may have influenced the distribution and evolution in Alectoris (Watson 1962a). Recent geneticanalysis indicated a high degree of differentiation exists among allopatric populations ofAlectoris in Israel, Europe, and Asia (Randi et al. 1992). Geographic barriers and isolation mayalso act on North American populations, creating local differentiation or adaptation in somechukar populations (Walter 2000).4.1.2. Gray PartridgeGray partridge are closely related to chukar partridge, i.e., they are both commonlyplaced in the family Phasianidae, subfamily Phasianinae, and tribe Perdicini (AOU 1998).However, recent analysis using protein electrophoresis suggested Perdix were more closelyrelated to pheasants (Phasianus) than Old World partridges and quails (Randi et al. 1991). The
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